That’s why no matter what you search for on Google the MOST relevant 3 results for competitive keywords are always ads:

Not to mention they have been SELF PROMOTING like a mofo by stuffing the top ten results with YouTube videos and now even Google+ content has been showing up in search results.

What controls the search results?

Oh yeah THEIR algorithm.

They are making the same mistake that AOL made.

They’re trying to trick people into coming inside the grand world of Google, forget about the internet because it’s dangerous out there just stay in here where it’s warm and safe. Hey, look we have YouTube videos, and GooglePlus and you can store all your data here and call your family on our phones and even buy your stuff from our store, the company store.

Yeah.

If you’ve been around technology long enough and have been paying attention you start to see the signs.

Who remembers when companies would even advertise on the radio, “Search AOL keyword Flowers, etc.”

WAIT, IF GOOGLE IS THE NEW AOL THEN WHO’S THE NEW GOOGLE?

That remains to be seen, maybe a resurgence for Yahoo is in order? They fell off when they got complacent after being #1 for years.

These days people forget the reason why we all started using GOOGLE in the first place was because AOL clownishly tried to limit it’s search results to AOL only content.

Eventually people became frustrated at this shameless self promotion so they tried Google and they loved that it provided the best search results from ANY WEBSITE based off the keywords they searched.

Now, Google is following AOL’s lead by returning search results based on what’s BEST for THEIR BUSINESS, today.

This serves as formal notice to up and coming AND experienced bloggers DO NOT DEPEND ON GOOGLE FOR TRAFFIC as a matter of fact make sure you read this article so that you can get an idea of how valuable Google’s traffic is anyway:

What's up! I'm Darnell the founder of Your Online Biz.
I believe "We come from absolute greatness. Accomplishing the extraordinary is the least that we should expect from ourselves."
In 2012 I launched TruckLicense.net which redefined how to get a CDL without expensive trucking school.
I also created the #IBCT - International Blogger Championship Tournament which features the top 64 blogs worldwide in a competitive comparative analysis.
When you support me you help #PayItForward as I contribute 10% of my online income to help children in need.

Since you linked to one of my posts then you already know how I feel about Google. I trust them about as far as I can throw them which we both know that ain’t far.

Little by little they are penalizing, deindexing, deranking or just shoving sites from their search engines. We aren’t paying so they don’t want us to pay. No one should ever just count on them for traffic or they will be so upset one day soon when they find out that Google doesn’t like them anymore either.

Gail definitely knows the truth about Google and she’s right, she’s written about it a lot.

I try to not get on their bad side but I don’t write or play to impress Google. Those days are long behind me now.

Great write up my friend and for those also not aware of all the behind the scenes stuff taking place, they will be now.

I’m a little late to this party but I only just found your site. Have already read a few posts, great stuff, I’m glad to have learned of it!

Just had to respond to this one because I now bristle at the mere mention of the word Google. To make this comment as short as possible, I’ll bullet point why:

- their ‘do as we say, not as we do’ attitude
- the whole Big Brother approach they’ve taken
- trying to force people to use G+
- I don’t trust them anymore – what are they planning to do with all of our info and those 8 robotics companies they just bought? They’ve become less transparent, in my opinion.

I assume that no further explanation of those points is necessary but am happy to expound, if asked.

I’m not paranoid (I don’t think) but my confidence in them has definitely been shaken.

They have a right to make profits and run their company however they want. We do live in a free society. However, it feels to me like we’ve created a monster. No company is too big to fall but I’m not sure they believe that.

I do still use Google products because I already had them. Whether or not that will be the case in future, I don’t know yet.

From now on though, I’ll do what I think is best for my readers and not worry anymore about Google. That’s who we should be writing for, anyway.

Same reason I haven’t changed my logo with the helmet for “authorship” I can’t think of any good reasons to trust these sneaky mofos meanwhile I see bloggers hanging on to every single word that Matt Cutts says. It’s hilarious.

Great article! Thank you for sharing this. You just shared some great points! It was kinda intriguing at first but then after reading your whole article, then I realized that what you are saying is true.

In my comment on his article, I agreed with you about the money angle. Your take on Google even stuffing the results with YouTube videos is right on … “self-promoting” is a good way to characterize it.

What I appreciate about this article? In essence, you’re telling bloggers and website owners to wake up, quit operating under false illusions, and recognize that Google is not their friend. Of course, that doesn’t mean Google is their enemy, either.

Like any business on the planet, they’re out to make money. (I could never disagree that that should be their focus.) In the final analysis, knowing G is not giving back all that much, bloggers, content producers, and marketers would do well to put their time into creating great content and providing great products, services, and customer support.

I remember when there was no Google so I really hate the extreme domination they have. I hate that they have a large chunk of traffic and can only hope that Yahoo or Bing can get their act together!

I cannot stand people that say “Oh but Google does not like that!” I am so over those types of sheep spreading crap all over the internet! Who cares about Google? They are just a business trying to make money as you say.

Congratulations on being perceptive, Darnell. Have you read any of my posts about Google? Because you have the fancy new CommentLuv that lets me choose ANY post on my blog, I’ve put one in CommentLuv for you and another in the regular Website field. Those are the most telling – but there ARE others.Gail Gardner recently posted…SEO, SERPS, Is There a Google Search Engine Fairy?(dofollow)

Dag my man! I hadn’t really paid much attention to that but after reading this I went to my Analytics and checked on 5 of my sites and you’re right, they don’t tell you what’s at the top. Now, the non-cynical “me” thinks it’s probably an amalgamation of lots of terms and they just grouped them all together. The problem with that is if it was true then why are there so many one-time listed search terms showing?

Great Article Darnell. This is just a piece of the iceberg. I could go further into this, but its 4AM now. I do have a story that shows an attempt to control the serps and I’ll get back with you on G+ so you can check my findings as well.Chris recently posted…Auto Pilot Traffic Suite 2.0

[...] two weeks ago I read a post by our buddy Darnell Jackson of youronline.biz titled Is Google Blogger Blocking? His premise was that if you look at your Google Analytics and check to see what keywords [...]